Jonathan Demme's THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE is a swirling romantic suspense thriller, a remake of the 1963 Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn vehicle, CHARADE. Set in Paris, the film stars Thandie Newton as a British ex-pat whose art dealer husband is murdered while she's on vacation. Arriving home, she is met with an empty apartment, the French police, and an array of mysterious thugs who believe she knows where her husband stashed six million stolen dollars. Mark Wahlberg plays the handsome, beret-sporting stranger who comes to her rescue, but who may not be what he seems. Special mention goes to Tim Robbins as a shadowy American agent, and Christine Boisson as the cool-as-nails police commandant trying to get to the bottom of the matter.
Demme's direction pulls out all the stops here, with dizzying camerawork, experimental flash-forwards and insane editing. It's a return to the Oscar-winner's pre-SILENCE OF THE LAMBS days, when his specialty were cameo-studded, pop-infused romantic comedy thrillers like MARRIED TO THE MOB and SOMETHING WILD. This time the cameos celebrate the 1960's French New Wave cinema with appearances by crooner Charles Aznavour, director Agnes Varda, and--singing a mad tango--ex-Godard icon Anna Karina.
Theatrical release: October 25, 2002
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - French
Dolby Surround - Spanish
DTS Surround 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentary
Making-of
Bonus Feature - 1. CHARADE
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Executive Producer
Ilona Herzberg: executive producer
Source Writer
Peter Stone: Screenwriter
Director of Photography
Tak Fujimoto:
Review 1:
"...Most of the film's allure comes from the sensual, butter-voiced Thandie Newton; with her, Mr. Demme has found the 21st-century corollary to Audrey Hepburn..."
Source: New York Times
p.E1 10/25/2002
Review 2:
"...Smart and easy on the eye..."
Source: USA Today
p.15D 10/25/2002
Review 3:
"...The production has an absolute sheen....Romantic, dangerous and fun to visit..."
Source: Hollywood Reporter
p.66 10/22/2002
Review 4:
"...A spirited, joyful homage; mainstream film doesn't get much more playful than this..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.61-2 08/01/2003
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